The 500 plus acre peninsula, which divides Haverstraw Bay and the Tappan Zee, was purchased by the Westchester Park Commission in 1924 - 75 years ago. By that time Croton Point, through years of neglect, had become "anyone's step-child."
The continuing abuse it has suffered this century verges on the criminal, but there is still time to preserve the few remaining remnants of its history and protect them for future generations. Naming the former Westchester County dump (or "landfill," as it now appears politically correct to refer to it) "Underhill," would be a first step in the recognition. Probably, a name change would smell sweeter to local residents. Not only would it indicate to archaeologists at the end of the third millennium the source of one of the richest "digs" imaginable, it would immortalize the name of one of the early families connected with the point.
Recent excavations by Westchester County at Croton Point and suggestions by county officials for possible uses of the site, have highlighted the need to reverse the tide and protect and save our heritage. With the recent declarations that the Hudson River Valley is a National Heritage Area and the Hudson River a National Heritage River, the cause has become one for the entire nation.
Early in the 1800's much of Croton Point was acquired by Robert Underhill, a Quaker and founder of a local meeting house in 1797. During the British blockade in 1812 he grew watermelons and the story has it that sloops waited off-shore for them to ripen so they could be shipped to beleagured New York City.
In the middle of the century, much of Croton Point was disturbed by the Hudson River Railroad Company to provide fill for the new railroad line.
Two of Underhill's sons inherited the property. Dr. Richard Underhill started his wine industry on 85 acres, building the three historic brick wine cellars-- later used by Westchester County for the storage of chemicals. William A. Underhill owned one of the 34 brick yards in Cortlandt at the time, employing about 300 men during the season. It became a community, complete with a school house (now used as a restroom) and a "restaurant."
By 1915, the supply of clay was exhausted, and the site changed hands many times. A Croton Point Beach Club, with summer bungalows, was begun; the Wright Brothers made a guest appearance with an airplane in 1910; in 1923 an amusement park opened briefly.
Of the 500 acres purchased by Westchester County in 1924, 70 were set aside for a dump. It gradually became the dump for the entire county and directions to the Village of Croton-on-Hudson became "just follow the dump trucks." It developed into a disgrace as local property values fell because of the odor on windy days, leachate ran into the Hudson River, constant fires were the problem of the local fire department, scavenger seagulls crowded the air, ball fields were closed and signs with skulls and crossbones warning visitors were installed. Constant promises to close the dump were made -- although at least one county official advised it would make an excellent site for a county incinerator as residents were accustomed to the truck traffic.
Other suggestions included a golf course, airport, heliport, and miniature golf attractions.
On May 9, 1972, United States Attorney Whitney North Seymour named Westchester County, as the operator of the Croton Point Dump, a defendant in a case that charged the dump as a serious source of pollution and contamination of the Hudson River. Affidavits by experts maintained that 40-million gallons of leachate were being discharged into the river each year.
Eventually, a multi-million dollar, state-of-the-art "cap" was installed over the entire area and on June 1, 1995 a plaque on the top of the Croton Point dump was unveiled that announced the landfill complete and the park returned to the people of Westchester.
Within the landfill, an extensive web of pipes was installed to remove the methane gas from the decomposing material. This year the county suggested using the gas to fuel county dump trucks -- requiring them to visit the site for the fuel. It was a suggestion quickly dropped as local residents expressed outrage -- the village had had its share of dump trucks. Similarly, the suggestion of a hydroponic fish farm, also fueled by the gas, was withdrawn. A plan to use about 10 per cent of the gas to heat one of the nearby Metro-North buildings and fuel vehicles within the park is still in place.
A suggestion has been made by County Executive Andrew Spano to convert an historic large brick building into a Bed and Breakfast. More recently, in his State of the County speech, he alluded to a Hudson River Interpretive Center on Croton Point, although, to date, it is only a concept.
The hill above the landfill is required to remain meadowland and it has been seeded with indigent wildflowers. Tree roots could possibly pierce the material capping the fill. Gradually birds, butterflies, and hikers are returning to enjoy the vistas up and down the Hudson River.
Even with all the activity in the last three centuries, there are spots on Croton Point where there are still at least the vestiges of the earlier civilizations. They must be treasured and protected -- who knows what more advanced technology will be able to tell us about our past? The past we use to plan our future.
The Westchester County Park is a compendium of all our history -- geological, Native American, early European, Revolutionary War, industrial expansion, and a future bonanza for archaeologists -- and we haven't touched on the ecological significance.
Croton Point is designated a "recreational park." Perhaps, officials of Westchester County should consider re-designating it as a "preserve." No matter what, they should enact legislation requiring the county to go through the same procedures as private companies during "development." A Full Environmental Impact Statement must be required, as stringent as that enacted for developers, with advertised hearings of the public, and citizens must demand it.
All residents of Westchester County have a responsibility for the stewardship of this critical national historical and ecological inheritance -- it has been returned to us. We must be vigilant, knowledgeable and pro-active -- from the grass roots -- in its preservation as "Underhill."
1835 � New York City voted to construct a 40 mile brick-lined gravity-fed aqueduct from the Croton River into Manhattan.
1837 � construction began on the first Croton Aqueduct and dam. Many of the workers were Irish.
1842 � the dam was completed.
1849 � the railway was built as far as Peekskill; the Croton station was on River Street (later Riverside Avenue). A result was a much more rapid population growth in the area with a town growing around the railway and station.
1855 � work on the new Croton aqueduct began.
1883 � there were 13 brickyards operating between Croton Point and Verplanck making 64,000 bricks a day.
1885 � the need for a new Croton Dam was already being explored.
1890 � the new Croton Aqueduct completed.
1890s � a series of droughts led the New York City Aqueduct Commission to call for a new aqueduct and reservoir.
1891 � the Aqueduct Commission agreed that a new Croton Dam should be built. (It was to be located about three miles below the old dam on the Croton River. It would cover an area of land 20 miles long)
1892 � construction began on the new Dam.
1896 � work began on a new dam on the site of the old Cornell Farm on the Croton River.
1898 � Croton incorporated.
c. 1900� --� Judge Decker of Croton leaded the Croton Point beach area and organized the Croton Point Club. (There were 23 vacation bungalows along the beach.)
1900 � a labor strike led to some people getting injured. The cavalry was called in for a while before the workers were given a slight wage increase.
1906 � the new Dam was completed, the second-largest hand-hewn structure in the world, after the famous pyramids of Egypt.
1907 � the new masonry Croton Dam completed as well as a new aqueduct.
c. 1912� --� Point Pleasant Park was opened at the southern tip of Croton Point.� Visitors could picnic on the lawn of the Interwasser mansion.
1915� --� when the clay supply was exhausted, the Underhill brickyard closed.�
Early 20th century � there was an influx of artists into the village.
1920's � a group of writers and artists from Greenwich Village started buying old farm buildings on Mount Airy Road. Many worked on a monthly magazine named The Masses, a publication that supported views of the political left.
1923� --� opening of the Croton Point Park, an amusement park, on the north shore near the bathhouses.
1923� --� Camps Kitchawanc and Senasqua at Croton Point provided great camping experiences for both boys and girls.
1924� --� the Westchester Park Commission bought 500 acres of Croton Point.� They reserved 70 acres for a landfill for garbage.
1927 � a new roundhouse and 100-foot turntable added to the railway complex. More than half of the male population were directly or indirectly employed by the railroad.